Effort underway to clean up contamination at King Philip Mill Complex

City says EPA will fund and implement cleanup and that, afterward, officials can work on marketing and selling property

Jo C. Goode Herald News Staff Reporter @jgoodeHN

FALL RIVER — There is movement in the redevelopment of the King Philip Mill Complex at 386 Kilburn St., with the city recently receiving ownership of the massive mill and the federal Environmental Protection Agency set to remove hazardous materials found inside the site.

“We own it,” City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros said of the complex, located in the South End.

The city, which is owed approximately $600,000 in back taxes, took former owner David Chow to Land Court to take possession of the property.

Chow abandoned the property and is believed to have left the country.

The EPA released a report last week of its findings of hazardous chemical found in 50 55-gallon drums inside the complex in 2012, discovered after an arsonist destroyed one of the mill buildings.

The EPA became involved in December, when it began its inspection of the barrels. The report indicates EPA experts found ignitable and corrosive materials that could cause a fire and are extremely hazardous to people.

The federal agency will fund and conduct the removal of the contamination. The effort is expected to cost $200,000.

Viveiros said the EPA got the go-ahead on Thursday to begin the cleanup, and its Brownfields division will perform additional testing later. When the EPA’s work is complete, it makes way for the city’s preparation to sell the property.

“We can’t go in until the environmental piece is complete and before we can start to aggressively market the property,” Viveiros said.

While the city is still considering options regarding the mill complex, Viveiros said it will likely move ahead on dividing a portion of the property into three parcels.

The city will keep one of the parcels to create public access to nearby Cook Pond, with plans in the works to create a walking path around the perimeter of the pond, Viveiros said.

The remaining property will likely be sold as is, said Viveiros, although one of the three remaining buildings may have to be demolished because of its condition.

After the January 2012 arson, the city condemned the four-building complex, evicted several business tenants and removed two horses.

According to the EPA report, there are nearly 24,000 residents who live within a mile of the complex. For years, neighbors have pushed city officials to tear it down for fear the complex would catch fire.

State Rep. Alan Silvia, D-Fall River, who is also president of the South End Neighborhood Association, said neighbors continue to be fearful.

“Folks who live around it are really concerned,” Silvia said, “It’s a hazard.”

The concern is growing since the only tenant in the complex, Crown Linens, is expected to have moved out by September.

The company has been paying a nighttime fire monitor to keep watch at the complex, and Silvia is hoping the city will put in place similar safeguards when the company leaves.

“People live in constant fear. If it catches fire, it will affect thousands of lives,” Silvia said.

The City Council Committee on Public Safety will meet on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in City Council chambers at Government Center to get a status update on the mill complex.

City Councilor Paul DaSilva, who chairs the committee, said the members will discuss the next steps as the EPA and the city move ahead.

He also expects to receive updates from both the police and fire departments on the issue of public safety at the mill complex.

“I think we’re going in the right direction, but there is still a lot of public concern,” DaSilva said.

Meanwhile, Silvia said he and state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, met with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, in Washington, D.C., to discuss getting more federal aid to deal with the future of the mill complex.